


stop and smell the coffee beans

by grootmorning



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017), Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst to come, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, or at least an attempted slow burn, that's a lot of alternates sue me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 19:02:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11319666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grootmorning/pseuds/grootmorning
Summary: AU. Two forces of nature collide in a coffee shop fifteen minutes away from a university campus. Arguments over a table, best friends colluding against them, university rumours and actual studying shenanigans ensue. Will they ever find their happy ending?





	stop and smell the coffee beans

Belle kept her eyes on the doorway leading into the coffee shop where she was currently in, tapping her fingers impatiently against the smooth wooden polish of the table.  

_Five, four, three, two and one._

The bell at the doorway remained silent. She let her breath whoosh out in a relieved sigh as she finished counting down the seconds of the hour in her head. There was no sign of Gaston, which meant that she could study for the rest of the day in peace.  

Belle looked around her, at the peaceful interior of the coffee shop and the lack of rowdy customers, at her table, her notebooks spread out with three different coloured pens peeking from behind her cup of soothing tea.

_Time to get some actual studying done._

Not a full minute later, Belle jumped and dropped her pen as the door of the coffee shop slammed open. A man stalked in, mumbling under his breath as he stumbled towards the cluster of tables where she was seated, dragged the opposite chair out and fell into it.

His head slumped forward until it was pillowed by his arm on the table, pushing her pens rolling towards her.

“Hey!”

She looked around for the rest of the staff, but they were all out of sight at the moment. Belle wrestled with herself for a second before she came to a decision. Studying needed to be done. She picked up the red pen, and gave his arm a good, solid poke.

"Excuse me?"

With a small scream, she ducked to avoid his flailing arm and barely grabbed her cup of tea out of the way. Setting it out on the other side of her and safely out of his reach, Belle huffed out an exasperated breath. All she wanted was to study in peace. There were six other tables in this perfectly empty establishment. Why’d he have to pick her table? And just when she thought she had gained some peace.

Slightly annoyed, she gave him another jab.

“Excuse me!”

The man growled in his sleep, low and guttural. Belle couldn’t help but shrink back in mild shock. But there was no going back now. Maybe a third poke was required.

“No, dear! Leave him be,” Mrs Potts hurried out of the back room, holding a large pot of steaming hot coffee. She set it down on the table next to them, just out of reach. Quickly grabbing a mug from the counter, she poured out a generous helping. The mug was shoved into his outstretched hand and the man sniffed at the fumes as he began to stir. Like a hound to the scent, he dragged the mug closer to him and inhaled the drink greedily.

Belle watched him with mild curiosity and amazement before looking to Mrs Potts for an explanation. She sighed with unexpected fondness, “He doesn’t function until he’s had that first mug in the morning.”

A look at her watch told her that it was two in the afternoon.

“His version of morning, dear. It’s best to leave him be. He’s not human until the coffee kicks in.” She bustled back into the back room, calling for Cogsworth to man the counter.

Belle took a moment to study the stranger. The man's disheveled hair brushed the top of his shoulders and his face had a few days' worth of beard growth. Belle noted that his clothes looked expensive but rumpled. It wasn’t until she kicked something under the table that she peeked and realised that he’d dropped his book bag. Huh, he must be a student at the university too. The unfortunate books were spilling out. That wouldn’t do. Belle quickly ducked under the table to pick them up before they got dirty.

Overhead, she heard a male voice rumble slowly. “Mrs Potts, why are there already study materials on my table? Did I leave them here?” The sound of papers rustling. “These aren’t mine, I don’t major in mechanical engineering.”

Belle rushed to stand, bumping her head in the process. “Ow! Those are mine, I’ll thank you very much not to disturb them.”

The man stared at her in bewilderment. “What are you doing under my table? And holding my books?”

“Your books were spilling out across the floor.” Belle placed them on the table before taking her papers from him. “And I’ve been here since lunch ended. You came in and fell asleep on my things. So I think that question should be mine to ask instead.”

The man continued staring at her, “You’re at my table.”

She indicated the empty cafe behind him. “You’re welcome to any other, I’ve settled in quite nicely.”

“But this is my table.”

“I don’t see your name on it.”

“Listen here - “

"Adam! I've told you not to yell at customers!" Mrs Potts emerged from the back room again with another pot of coffee, switching the man’s - Adam’s - empty (already?) pot for the fresh one. “The young lady was indeed here first, dear. I'm so sorry, love. Pay him no mind." She patted Belle’s hand gently as she passed, pushing her to sit back down.

"This has been my table for ages," Adam pounded the table with a clenched fist once as he glared at her.

Mrs Potts rolled her eyes and prepared to speak but Belle was capable of fighting her own battles. “Unless you’re telling me that you bought and paid for this table, I’m perfectly able to sit at any table I please, which happens to be this table, where I’ve been for the past hour. I will continue to sit at this table until I am finished with my studying for today and you may sit at any other table in here or move one seat down to where there is a perfectly good table next to me and maybe we can study in peace and without disturbance.”

Adam snorted, folding his arms cockily. "This is my place."

"No it’s not," both Mrs Potts and Cogsworth muttered under their breath.

Belle nodded her head in their direction. “Do as you please.” She picked up her pen and flipped her papers to where she’d stopped earlier. Forcing herself to study the words on the paper, Belle made herself stay in her seat when Adam picked up his books and bag in a huff, drained his mug of coffee and stormed off.

Mrs Potts shook her head, exchanging hushed words with Cogsworth as they resumed their work.

Belle shrugged the odd encounter off, scribbling down an equation in the margin of her notes. “What an extremely disagreeable man.”

**Author's Note:**

> first chapter is finally up after ages of agonizing and procrastination. it's all thanks to [quicksiluers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksiluers/profile) who's indulged me and encouraged my plotting. I'm posting this in the hopes that constant reminder that this exists will kick my ass into gear and continue it. comments and kudos are welcome and appreciated :)
> 
> tumblr: [here](http://ltfrankcastle.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [here](http://twitter.com/ltfrankcastIe)  
> 


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